


Christmas Time

by Wickedrider98



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Christmas Fluff, Christmas present, Demiboy Martin Blackwood, Fluff, Jon Georgie and Melanie are roommates and i love it, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-17 23:27:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21951397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wickedrider98/pseuds/Wickedrider98
Summary: In a world far removed from Gods and Monsters, What The Ghost's Head Researcher Jonathan Sims meets Martin Blackwood, Barista of Black Oasis Cafè.
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan Sims, Melanie King/Georgie Barker (background)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 149
Collections: Cowards Holiday Exchange 2019





	Christmas Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lillian_valnala](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lillian_valnala/gifts).



> This is for the Cowards Collective Secret Santa, I was given my friend CJ and the prompts Jonmartin coffee shop and demiboy martin! Merry Christmas CJ, I hope you enjoy! 💙💜

"I don't understand why we couldn't just go to Starbucks. It's a lot closer than this 'hipster' coffeehouse you're so set on," Jon grumbled as he retreated further into his jacket, attempting to escape the bitter December cold, "we could be in the warmth by now."   
"Would you stop being such a wimp?" Georgie asked with a smile, "it isn't even that cold out here."  
"It is when you're wearing a spring jacket and no scarf." Melanie pointed out from Jon's other side.   
"So sorry I didn't have time to properly prepare to be ambushed and dragged into the cold."  
" _Anyway_ ," Georgie cut off their squabbling, “Black Oasis has the best peppermint hot chocolate in London. And you needed to get out of the flat, so-”  
“So you decided a kidnapping was an order?” Jon rolled his eyes, “really Georgie, I’m swamped as it is.”  
“You can take a short break from researching for What the Ghost Jon. As your boss, I’ll allow it.”  
Jon cursed under his breath as the couple dragged him into a crowded cafe. The smell of fresh-baked pastries and the sound of overplayed Christmas songs drifted through the air as Melanie shoved him into the queue line from behind while Georgie chattered in front of them.  
“I’m partial to the peppermint hot chocolate, but knowing you, you’ll probably want something boring,” she smirked at Jon’s eye roll, “they have a good tea menu, the raspberry is good. Also the chamomile. And you _have_ to try one of their muffins. Gerry, the guy who bakes them every morning, is a wizard I swear.”   
“I’ll keep that in mind.”  
“Also watch out for the Barista, Tim,” Melanie added, “he’s a total flirt.”  
Jon rolled his eyes as they reached the front of the line. Behind the counter stood a dark-skinned man with a tag that read “Tim- He/Him” on his black apron.  
“Welcome to The Black Oasis,” he said with a charismatic smile, “can I take your order?”   
“Uh…” Jon’s eyes scanned the menu, overwhelmed.  
“I can always recommend something,” Tim winked, “everything here is good, especially when served with a side of me.”  
“Oh! I uh… I’m not…”   
“Go easy Tim, you’re scaring him,” Georgie patted Jon’s shoulder, “he’ll have an Earl Gray and a Banana Nut Muffin.”  
“Sure thing. The Usual for you and Melanie?”  
“You know it!”   
Georgie paid and ushered Jon down the counter.   
“Come on, come on, it’s crowded enough in here as it is!”   
They reached the end of the counter to wait for their drinks. Melanie and Georgie’s orders had come out first, leaving Jon by himself when caught sight of the other barista behind the counter, rushing back and forth to mix drinks. His blonde curls fell over his freckled face as he ran to mix tea, his blue eyes drifting up to meet Jon’s. He smiled.  
“Earl Gray and Banana Nut Muffin, right?” The blonde asked  
“Yes! Thank you, uh…” Jon struggled to read his name tag. ‘Martin- He/They’, “Thank you. Martin.”  
“Any time, enjoy sir! And Merry Christmas!”   
“Jon. Call me Jon. And thank you, same to you.”   
“Enjoy, Jon!”   
He caught himself blushing as he retreated to the table Melanie and Georgie had nabbed.   
“So, Martin huh?” Georgie cocked an eyebrow.  
“What about him?”   
“You’ve been blushing since he called your order,” Melanie took a sip off her drink, “not to mention the fact you felt the need to introduce yourself after less than fifteen seconds.”  
“And we all know how great your track record is with flirtation.”   
“It worked on you, didn’t it?” Jon gently nudged Georgie’s shoulder, “and besides, I don’t believe in the ‘love at first sight’ nonsense you’re insinuating.”  
“Maybe not, but you definitely seemed interested.”   
“I was not! I was just… interested to try this muffin I’ve been hearing so much about.”   
“Well, then Mr. Muffin, let’s hear your verdict,” Melanie smirked. Jon groaned but took a bite nonetheless.  
“Well?”  
“As good as you say,” he muttered in between chewing.   
“I bet it would taste better with a side of _Martin_ ,” Melanie smirked.  
“Would you stop!?”  
***  
“Earl Gray and Banana Nut Muffin for Jon!” Martin shouted, handing a bag over the counter.  
“Thank you. Martin.” Jon smiled softly.  
“No problem, enjoy.” The blonde chuckled, “you’re becoming quite the regular here, I see you more than I do Melanie and Georgie.”   
“Yes, and they never let me forget that,” Jon rolled his eyes, “Martin, I was wondering…”   
The blonde’s heart leaped in his chest.  
“Yes?”   
Jon felt his ears beginning to turn pink, his mouth beginning to go dry.   
“Nothing.” he rasped, “have a nice day.”   
Martin watched, slightly crestfallen, as Jon rushed off to a table facing the window and buried himself in his laptop. Someone clasped his shoulder from behind.  
“Crushing on the new regular are we, Marto?” Tim asked, “usually wooing patrons is my job, but I think I can let you have the stuffy academic.”   
“He’s not stuffy!”  
“But you don’t object to the crushing?”  
Martin’s freckled cheeks turned pink.  
“I see!” Tim gave a cocky smile, “you planning on asking him out?”  
“I leave the dating the customers to you.”   
“Come on, write him a poem or something.”   
“I can’t write under stress,” Martin muttered, “and besides… he wouldn’t like my style. Just the other day he was telling me about how much he disliked Keats.”  
“Maybe write him a non-poetic note then?”   
“Maybe…”   
“He comes in every day Martin, it’s not like you’ll be short on opportunities.”   
“Fair enough," Martin shrugged, "I'm going on break."   
"I'll go with you!"   
"No, no you won't."   
"But I'm great at love notes!"   
"I'd _really_ rather do this on my own."   
Tim rolled his eyes.   
"Go get him Romeo."  
***  
"Really Jon, Black Oasis _again_?" Georgie asked over the phone, "I know you're trying to impress Martin, but this is getting out of hand."  
"I am _not_ trying to impress Martin," Jon groaned, "I just like the tea."  
"Jonathan Sims, don't you lie to me."   
"I'm not lying _Georgina_ ," Georgie all but growled at the mention of her full name, "I'm just going for some Earl Gray and a quiet place to work."   
"And the flat isn't quiet?"   
"Not with you and Melanie constantly squealing over The Admiral."   
" _He's a good cat, Jon_."  
"I know he is, but do you have to squeal about everything he does?"  
"Yes."  
Jon rolled his eyes, grumbling.   
"Very well," he sighed, "I'll be home in a few hours."  
"Suit yourself."   
"I'll see you in a few hours."   
Jon hung up and entered, taking in the smell of cooking pastries.   
"'Afternoon Jonny-boy!" Tim chirped, "the usual for you today?"  
"Yes, and _Jon_ will be just fine."   
"Whatever you say, Jonny-boy."  
Jon groaned as he paid and shuffled down the counter. The cafè was especially empty this afternoon, on account uncommonly warm temperatures for mid-December, and Jon noticed Martin was uncharacteristically at ease as he carefully mixed Jon's tea.  
"Hi Jon!" The blonde barista flashed him a smile that seemed too tense for the state of the coffeehouse, "how are things going in the Ghost Podcast Research Business? I really enjoyed last week's episode."  
"Well enough. I've come to finish the final bit of work for the next season."   
"Ah! Well, good luck!" Martin handed him a bag and his tea, "enjoy."   
"Thank you."   
Jon took his usual table by the window and opened his laptop, absently reaching into the bag he'd been given when his hand caught on something that was definitely _not_ his Banana Nut muffin. He yanked it out to reveal a crumpled piece of paper, numbers scrawled across it with _'dinner on Saturday? Text me. -Martin'_ beneath it. Under that, in a different hand were the words **'hurt him, and you die. -Tim'.**  
Jon stared at the note, dumbfounded. He'd never been approached by anyone who with romantic intentions, and the note felt like an alien object in his hand, the small slip of paper feeling like a thousand pound weight in his palm. He slowly grabbed his phone, creating a new contact and typing in Martin's number.   
_Hello Martin_ , he tried to ignore the shaking in his hands, _this is Jon_  
"What do I say?" He grumbled. Couldn't text Georgie, she and Melanie would never let him hear the end of this. Jon took in a deep breath. He was on his own for this.   
_Saturday would be excellent_ , he continued, _if you'd like we could meet around 7? Let me know. -Jon._  
Jon didn't look when he hit send, but continued to check his phone every few minutes. Martin was still working, less than fifteen feet away from Jon's tiny window table, but he still couldn't shake the fear he was ignoring him. He tried to focus on articles of the haunted pubs of London, hoping Martin wouldn't catch him stealing glances from across the cafè. It was half 6 when Jon saw his phone light up next on the smooth metal table.   
_7 would be perfect, see you then!_  
Jon breathed a sigh of relief as he packed up his laptop, trying to avoid Tim's cocky gaze and Martin's blushing.   
***  
"You're wearing that on a date?" Georgie asked as she looked Jon up and down.  
"This is what I normally wear!" Jon countered.   
"I think that's what she means," Melanie chuckled, the Admiral purring in her lap. Jon rolled his eyes.   
"I don't need your fashion advice, thank you."   
"Do you need our dating advice? I'm pretty sure the last time you had a date was… me? If I remember correctly?"   
"I'm sure I'll be fine, thank you." Jon took in a deep breath, "I'm off. Wish me luck."   
***  
When Jon knocked on the door to Martin's flat, he was greeted by a wagging Golden Retriever, jumping on her hind legs before Martin could stop her.   
"Hey, get off the company!" The blonde grabbed her collar, "sorry. Roo is harmless, but I don't like it when she jumps."   
"That's quite alright," Jon knelt down to pet her, "Roo, was it?"  
"Yep. I adopted her a little over a year ago now. She's a good girl, but she's still a puppy, and we're still working on some bad habits, aren't we girl?"   
Martin scratched the Golden's ears.   
"Come on in, no sense in staying in the hallway." He added, "is pasta okay for dinner? I didn't know what you liked so I figured it'd be the safest bet."  
"Pasta sounds lovely."   
"Good! I'm going to go get started, make yourself at home."   
Jon nodded and shrugged off his jacket, placing it on the back of a chair. Martin's flat was small, but not in a suffocating way. It was more cozy than claustrophobic, with a smattering of pictures hanging in frames on the white walls, and discarded journals and books of poetry scattered around the coffee table. A small Christmas tree stood in the corner, brightly lit with white lights and decorated in various colorful ornaments. From where he stood, Jon could see one made to look like an antique typewriter, a T.A.R.D.I.S., every Sonic Screwdriver ever made, and a Golden Retriever who looked suspiciously like Roo. One near the center of the tree caught Jon's eye. It was a standard baubel, painted with grey, white, and baby blue stripes. On the back were the words ' _Merry Christmas Martin! We're proud of you! -love Sasha, Tim, and Gerry'_.   
"They got that for me the Christmas after I came out," Jon jumped at the sound of Martin's voice, "oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Dinner's all ready."   
The smaller man smiled.   
"That's quite alright. Let's eat."   
***   
"So, what are your plans for Christmas?" Martin asked over spaghetti and wine. Jon shrugged.   
"Same as usual," he said in between bites, "Georgie is going to wake Melanie, and I up too early to open presents, followed by the obligatory nap to repent for being up with the sunrise. Then the rest of the day is watching tacky Christmas movies, followed by dinner and Crackers. And I'm sure I'll be the official photographer for whatever Christmas outfit Melanie and Georgie put the Admiral in. They like to dress him up and put the pictures on the What The Ghost Instagram. The fans eat it up. They once did a video for the Patreon that was nothing but 5 straight minutes of The Admiral playing, and we ended up gaining 5 new Patrons because of it."  
"And the Admiral is…?"  
"Georgie's cat. He's a ginger Maine Coon, and possibly the fluffiest cat I've ever seen."   
"Ah."  
There was a long silence.   
"What about you?" Jon asked.   
"What do you mean?"   
"What are your plans for Christmas?"  
"Oh! Uh," the blonde fiddled with his noodles, "I don't really do much for Christmas. I'll give Roo her presents, maybe try to call my mum. Probably work on a poem or two."   
"You celebrate by yourself?" There was an emotion in Jon's voice even he didn't know he was capable of.   
"Yeah," Martin wouldn't meet his gaze, "mum and I have a… complicated relationship and Sasha, Tim, and Gerry are all off with their families, so it'll be just me and Roo."  
Jon nodded sympathetically. He knew what it was like to celebrate the holidays alone. In the time after his and Georgie's break up and his grandmother's death, his Christmases had consisted of microwaved leftovers from company Christmas parties and rewatching _Doctor Who_ Christmas specials in the dark of his flat. It hadn't been until he reconnected with Georgie and Melanie that he'd actually remembered what Christmas was supposed to be a _good_ time.   
"Y'know," Jon reached out to touch Martin's hand, "I don't think Georgie and Melanie would mind if you came as my plus one."   
"Spend Christmas with you three? Oh no, I couldn't! I mean, I don't want to impose, and this is only our first date, we don't even know if it's going to work-"   
"Then think of it as spending Christmas with friends."   
"But what about Roo? I don't want to leave her alone!"   
"Then bring her too. Georgie's parents had dogs, The Admiral doesn't mind them. I won't even make you come for present opening, because we start that at around 5am. But maybe...10ish? That's generally when we start the movies."   
Martin hesitated.   
"Please Martin," Jon awkwardly laced his fingers with the blonde's, "I've been in your place. The holidays are hard to get through alone. Please come? Even if it's only for a few hours."   
Martin sighed, but nodded.   
"Yeah," he murmured, "yeah I think I'd like that. Thank you Jon."   
"Of course."   
***  
"Roo-girl, for the last time The Admiral doesn't want to play with you!" Martin laughed as he shooed the large dog away from the irritated cat. Georgie chuckled as she set down a tray of mugs, filled with hot chocolate.   
"He grew up around 4 Labs, he's used to being harassed by animals bigger than him." She said.   
The smile on Martin's face made Jon's heart leap in his chest as he sat down next to his now-boyfriend, cuddling into his shoulder. Martin wrapped an arm around his narrow shoulders.   
"This is already better than spending today by myself," he whispered in Jon's ear, "thank you for this."   
"Of course."   
"Alright Martin," Melanie proclaimed from her spot on Georgie's lap, The Admiral in her arms, "you're our guest, so you get to pick the first movie!"   
"Choose carefully, because whatever you choose _will_ determine how we feel about you," Georgie shot him an evil smirk, "and for the love of God don't pick _Die Hard_. I don't want another repeat of the Great Christmas Movie Debate of 2017."   
"There's no debate because I'm right," Melanie snapped, " _Die Hard_ is a Christmas movie!"   
"No it's not!" Jon hissed, "just because a movie takes place at Christmas doesn't make it-"   
"Both of you stop or I am pouring your hot chocolate out in the sink!"   
Jon and Melanie glared at each other, but mumbled apologies.   
"Good. Now if the old married couple is done," Georgie's gaze shifted to Martin, "your movie choice?"   
"Uh… I always liked _Muppets in A Christmas Carol_ growing up?"   
"Muppets it is!"   
***  
Georgie, Melanie, and The Admiral fell asleep before the Ghost of Christmas Present, still exhausted from an early present opening. Martin, Jon, and Roo, who had sprawled herself between the two men, fared a bit better, though Martin could see Jon's eyes beginning to droop. He pressed a kiss into his graying hair.  
"Thank you. For this." He murmured, "it's lovely."   
"Of course. I couldn't have you spending today alone."   
Martin smiled.  
"Merry Christmas Jon."   
"Same to you Martin."


End file.
